Chris Patten is a bit of a bruiser who has accumulated his fair share of enemies over the years. Similarly, the BBC is, while generally much admired, also deeply loathed in some quarters for a variety of political, commercial and cultural reasons. Stir in the revulsion around paedophilia and the fear of restrictions on a newspaper industry that is already facing grave economic challenges, and the mix becomes horribly combustible. There is, at such times, a premium on calm heads.

It is also important in all debates about the BBC to distinguish between the voices of those who broadly wish the whole idea of public service broadcasting well and those who would gladly take a wrecking ball to the corporation in whole or in part, and who believe, along with James Murdoch, that the corporation is an Orwellian "near monopoly [that] guarantees manipulation and distortion". Yes, really.

Lord Patten's handling of the crisis so far has not been perfect. He bears the responsibility of picking George Entwistle and has sometimes seemed sluggish in his responses. He was ill-advised to sanction a double-sized payoff for a man who had been in the top job for only 54 days. He should certainly consider stepping down from other roles in order to concentrate on the BBC's future. But it makes no sense for Lord Patten himself to leave the stage at this moment. He is a passionate believer in public service broadcasting – something that doubtless damns him in some eyes – and he is tough, experienced and subtle enough to fight its corner. Let him stay and sort it out.

Now the hard part. Temporarily sidelining senior figures in the BBC's news structure – even if they had nothing to do with the most egregious journalistic and management errors – may help clarify a chain of command that had evidently become muddled in the wake of the Savile affair. But human sacrifices – especially if they are the wrong ones – will only get the BBC so far. Lord Patten needs to make a measured judgment about the extent to which the present crisis was caused by resources, structures, culture or human error.

The BBC Trust – neither fish nor fowl – may not be the right model of governance. There are many arcane debates to be had about the role of director general. But Lord Patten is limited by charter in what he can reasonably reform in the short term. He has promised to find a replacement for Mr Entwistle within weeks rather than months. But he must step carefully, observing proper processes and involving the Trust. And there are fine judgments for the BBC news team on the balance between admirably holding the organisation to account – a model for all – and excessive introspection. Lord Patten has a difficult and unenviable few months ahead.